Love In The Time of Drabbles
by xyzisme
Summary: Drabbles galore. All genres, styles, themes and topics. Zutara, Sukka, Taang. Accepting all requests, any pairings. Read and review. "There was a breath, as both of them glanced, frozen, at the unexpected visitor."
1. Mornings in bed

Suki had heard the crashes from the kitchen all morning. She had woken with a start upon hearing voices in the kitchen, but had relaxed her warrior alertness when realizing that Kalana and Kodu were bustling about the kitchen. She decided they had meant it to be a surprise and she wouldn't spoil it for them. Fortunately, and unsurprisingly, Sokka slept through the entire thing. She gazed at him with fondness, even after five years together she felt as though it might as well have been the day she saw him in makeup.

Every other handsome guy she knew was conceited, knew about their good looks through the fact that silly girls had always chased them. Whether it was the fact that the closest girl Sokka's age who wasn't related to him had been all of 3, or that Sokka couldn't believe it when girls were attracted to him, he still remained refreshingly modest. Indeed, sometimes she wanted to smack him when he asked incredulously for the tenth time why she had chosen him, but she loved him.

Of course, she wanted to smack him for other reasons too. He still sometimes expected Suki to do 'womanly' tasks, but she had to admit that not even on Kyoshi Island had she seen a father as devoted or a husband as caring. His fainting at the birth of their twin daughters eight years ago had been a little over the top, but that was Sokka for you. He had fainted when she had tried to go to battle while carrying their daughters too. She had listened to him on that one, her mother told her compromise was the basis for a good marriage. Whatever it was, it was working. Even though she had to give Ty Lee a very strict warning once, Sokka's fidelity was above reproach.

Her daughters made their way into the room, leaving, no doubt, a mess behind them in the kitchen. Suki didn't worry too much, she could always get her Kyoshis to clean it up. She rolled over, pretending to be deeply asleep. Her daughters believed her, they hadn't got the instincts of Kyoshis yet. Still, they could be whatever they chose to be.

As Suki gulped down the cold toast and runny eggs her daughters had made for breakfast in bed (their first attempt), she looked at Sokka wolfing down the food next to her. After rapturously greeting his daughters once he realized they had woken him up to bring food, he dug in. Suki smiled at her family and, suddenly, her food tasted much better.

* * *

**A prize for Artelils on dA for being the 100th reviewer of my story, Things We Lost In The Fire. She wanted some sweet Sukka, with their children bringing them breakfast.**


	2. After the Raiders

**For Silver-0 :) Part of an art trade

* * *

**_"I'm not crushed, you can get off me now."  
"I'll take that as a thank you."_

_"The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!"_

_"I'm touched. I don't deserve this."  
"Yeah, no kidding."_

_"Oh, everyone trusts you now‌. I was the first person to trust you, remember‌? Back in Ba Sing Se. And you turned around and betrayed me. Betrayed all of us."  
"What can I do to make it up to you‌?"_

_"Your sister hates me and I don't know why! But I do care what she thinks of me."_

_"I waited out here all night."_

_"I know who killed your mother. I'm going to help you find him."_

_"Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?"  
"Yes, it is."_

_"You should get some rest."_

_"But I am ready to forgive you."_

With those seven words, everything shifts. They are on a stop to allow Appa to rest, over deserted countryside. This is an oasis in the midst of territory destroyed by his nation, and a throb of shame fills him. She sits on a bridge, dangling her feet into her element, and he appreciates her complete grace even when only looking at her back.

She rises and he lowers his gaze, not sure if he is ready or able to meet hers, but forces himself to look up as her shadow falls across his feet.

"I'm sorry," he blurts, pushing out all his pain and hoping that she will understand the extent of it. After sparing the coward's life, she has been on Appa with a half dead expression. The stillness of her face, normally always animated, scares him. She has not cried as expected. She was always strong. She even responded to his request (was it?) to let Appa to rest in a normal tone. He wishes he had not taken her. It does not seem to have been a cathartic journey, as he had wished.

His raw torment pushes some shock onto her face. After that it twists, and is unable to recompose itself. He fears that she is about to cry, but doesn't know what to do. What could he say to her, after what she has been through?

"My mother saved my life too."

Katara looks up. Her face holds a mix of emotions. "She is a brave woman."

He notes her use of the present tense. "My mother said mothers don't like people who try and hurt their babies."

"I know."

There is a pause.

"That's why we need to help Aang," she says, and he does not fully understand what she is saying. Aang is like her child? They need to prevent the horrors of war? Mothers are precious?

At least she is talking. She pauses, and the realization that this is just as strange for her gives him the courage to go on.

"I was jealous of Azula. I still am sometimes."

A beat, and then her reply. "I wished Aang would learn waterbending slower than me. I wish I could control my anger."

Zuko is familiar with anger. "My father gave me this scar."

He has gone too far, and only realizes this when there is a strangled sound and she rushes into his arms. Her arms close around his neck in a warm grip. A few more beats. His arms slowly rise and encircle her waist. They stay locked in their own moment.

His eyes close, and he only realizes she has moved when he feels a warm hand on his face, in a familiar position. Her thumb brushes the edge of his mouth, and cool water surrounds his scar. He waits as she works out sore places he has grown used to and heals the parts of his scar that have grown raw from constant battle.

She draws the water away, sensing he does not need any more. His eyes open and she meets his gaze directly, after days of avoiding it and turning her face away in anger.

A move forward, and their lips touch. Their eyes close. They are complete.

* * *

**For those who do not understand, the quotes at the very beginning in italics are all from the Southern Raiders episode. **

**Feedback welcomed. **

**I tried. It's a very different style from what I normally do, but I like it. I tried to get the hesitancy and strangeness of the scene, and the romance.**

**She wanted an alternate ending to the Southern Raiders ep.  
**


	3. Summer Lovin'

**Their request:** Thank-you. Since it's almost Thanksgiving, and I haven't read any Avatar fanfiction in a long time, I've been thinking of this: the gang gets back together (a reunion, of some sort) for a Thanksgiving (or some holiday) and uh... that's where my brain kinda stopped working. Of course, some Zutara thrown in there would be loved (Blashy-Chan, 2500-3000 words)

* * *

**Summer Nights**

**TITLE:** Summer Nights

**SUMMARY:** A holiday, perhaps idyllic, tears apart the Gaang. Or does it?

**ZUTARA CONTEST **

**WORD COUNT:** 2,660

_[Danny]  
Summer lovin', had me a blast_

The summer was a break, before they all went to rejoin their duties in all corners of the nations. They knew what they wanted to do, but they didn't know how the summer would change them.

They were in their couples - Aang and Katara, Sokka and Suki, Zuko and Toph. Zuko and Toph weren't really a couple, and had no such feelings for each other, but when the others went off to do 'couple' things, they spent their time together.  
_  
[Sandy]  
Summer lovin' happened so fast_

Yet somehow, within the whirl and sights and smells that every summer offers, cracks began to appear under the perfect veneers. Aang and Katara, whose names could barely be said without the other's, began to become Aang and Toph, and Zuko and Katara.  
_  
[Danny]  
I met a girl crazy for me_

It was innocent at first, perhaps the similar ages naturally gravitated towards each other. Aang and Toph did have much more to talk about, they thought it was because they hadn't seen each other. And Katara found that she could tell Zuko all the things she kept back from Aang, because he judged nothing. They were able to be their complete selves with each other.  
_  
[Sandy]  
Met a boy cute as can be_

The first time Katara caught herself admiring Zuko's shirtless, practicing body, she blushed and caught herself.

The second time, she got up and went to talk to Aang, but couldn't ignore the feeling of loss.

The third time she found herself staring, she just decided to spar with him.  
_  
[Both]  
Summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh those summer nights_

Toph used to hate the sand, dreading the lack of sight it gave her. But now, moonlight (as Aang told her) walks on the beach with Aang provided a fuzzy feeling which she enjoyed, attributing it to the sand. Giving up her sight felt a lot like complete trust.  
_  
[Everyone]  
Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh_

"Sokka, I have no idea what you're trying to do."

"I'm calling Hawky!"

"..."

"You love me for me, Suki."

A deep breath. "Thank you for reminding me, Sokka."  
_  
[Thunderbirds]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

The summer wasn't just about the smaller groups they divided into. It was about being the Gaang again, with all the jokes that no one else understood, and the memories that no one else knew about. It was about Katara scolding Toph, and Sokka's silly ideas, and Zuko training Aang, and Suki putting makeup on them all.  
_  
[Doody]  
Did you get very far?_

It wasn't either of their first kisses. Yet the first time their lips met, it was underwater. It tasted of sand, and the unknown, and something infinitely sweeter than puppy love, yet a little bitter too. They came up, gasping for breath (or so they thought), and stared at each other with a new realization in their eyes, before Zuko dived back underwater.  
_  
[Pink Ladies]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

Suki found herself the recipient of Toph and Katara's excited talks about the days they spent. She said nothing, but noticed how they talked less and less of the others, and more and more about Aang and Zuko. Even more intriguingly, it was Toph who talked of Aang, and Katara of Zuko.  
_  
[Marty]  
Like does he have a car?_

He was the Avatar. Everyone looked up to him, admired him, even worshipped him. Yet she couldn't remember when he stopped being the Avatar to her, and became Twinkletoes, and she couldn't even pinpoint when he became Aang (occasionally).  
_  
[Everyone]  
Uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh_

Katara doesn't know when she started agreeing to everything Aang said, just to decrease argument. He's a vegetarian, dislikes Water Tribe food, believes in absolute non-violence, while she takes after Sokka's meat-loving habits, lives for stewed sea prunes, and longs for something different.  
_  
[Danny]  
She swam by me, she got a cramp  
_  
Toph will only take swimming lessons from Aang, because his combination of the elements can protects her absolute blindness. It's during the sixth lesson that she realizes that he's letting go of her even less now than when they started.  
_  
[Sandy]  
He ran by me, got my suit damp_

Zuko shuts his eyes in prayer for a few minutes, trying his hardest to recall the faces of the Fire Sages. He thinks of the worst food he's ever tasted, the worst smell he's smelt, and the ugliest thing he's seen. It doesn't do a thing to erase the image of Katara's damp hair and soaked bindings.  
_  
[Danny]  
I saved her life, she nearly drowned_

"Zuko."

"Yes, Katara?"

"I'm a _waterbender._ You don't need to supervise my swimming."

"Sorry, Katara."

Really, he was just admiring the view.  
_  
[Sandy]  
He showed off, splashing around  
_  
Sokka's endless splashing and excitement caused everyone to roll their eyes at his antics, but they felt a rush of warm affection at memories of times past.

_[Both]  
Summer sun, something's begun, but uh-oh those summer nights_

Even Zuko has a slight tan by the second week there, with the afternoons lazing around in the sun. They spend as much time on the beach as possible, sharing confidences over a warm fire as the suddenly chilly beach is filled with the air of their secrets. It's all of them, and once in a while Zuko even remembers that night with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, so long ago.  
_  
[Everyone]  
Uh well-a well-a well-a huh_

Gibberish. That's what the heartbeats seem to be, before Toph finally sees past the daze of the summer and wakes up to the heartbeats that beat for a person that they are not meant for, or so they thought. The summer seems to be rapidly drawing to an end, as Zuko grows harassed with reports of rebellions - it's impossible to leave work behind, and she and Aang fall more and more in love with each other.  
_  
[Pink Ladies]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

Rumors spread rapidly through the Island of the involvement between the Avatar and the Earthbender, and the land is scandalized, pleased, and curious at the same time. When the other, matching set of rumors follows, the people don't know whether to be surprised, happy, or angry.  
_  
[Frenchy]  
Was it love at first sight?_

She can't see. So she doesn't love his looks. But she hears his innocent voice, feels his dancing steps, and is soothed by the steady beat of his heart. What makes her fall in love with him, though, is the way that steady beat is disrupted every time she sees him.  
_  
[Thunderbirds]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

"And when I was just a kid, I got two fish hooks stuck in my hand at the same time. I got the second one in trying to get the first one out, see?" As Sokka rambles on about his childhood, the others grow bored, but Suki relishes the glimpse into the time before she knew him.  
_  
[Kenickie]  
Did she put up a fight?_

The first time, their kiss was almost an accident. They were underwater, messing around, and it's impossible to know whether it was unconscious the way they moved towards each other and their lips met. Zuko broke the moment by diving back under, afraid of what he now knew. The second time, they're sitting in the Ember Island house, helping him put away the memories of his now broken family. As he rests his hand on his childhood handprint with an impossibly confused look on his face, she hugs him from the side.

He turns his face towards her, and she moves back a little, conflicted. She doesn't say the third name that sits between them, but both of them know that Aang might as well be in the room. Drawing back a little, she begins to look away, before he presses his lips urgently to hers, and she throws her arms around his neck with passionate abandon.  
_  
[Everyone]  
Uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh_

It's impossible not to agree that Aang and Toph are perfect for one another. And that Katara and Zuko are happiest when they are together. Now, if only the universe and they themselves would see it that way.  
_  
[Danny]  
Took her bowling in the arcade_

It's growing harder to pretend that Aang and Katara are still together, as Toph and Aang attend a fair in Ember Island together and return with flushed cheeks, prizes she's won for him, and racing hearts.  
_  
[Sandy]  
We went strolling, drank lemonade_

The citrus of the lemon and the sweetness of the sugar are the scents that will remain stamped in Toph's mind as memories of her first kiss. Aang's face afterward provides a sour aftertaste.  
_  
[Danny]  
We made out under the dock_

The way Sokka and Suki spend their time alone together involves roses and whispered confessions and candlelit tents (now rooms), as Zuko found out when he went into Sokka's tent to find out about Katara's mother's death. But on this oasis of Ember Island, the others are too busy with their own drama to interrupt them.  
_  
[Sandy]  
We stayed out 'till ten o'clock_

Zuko's the prude in their relationship (if you call it that). After their two kisses, he's kept a scrupulous distance, despite having broken up with Mai a long time ago. The time they spend alone together is lesser, though equally meaningful. None of this serves to decrease the almost visible electricity between them.  
_  
[Both]  
Summer fling, don't mean a thing, but uh-oh those summer nights_

Aang reassures himself repeatedly that he has not betrayed Katara, his monk's conscience providing him with endless material for guilt. So he kissed Toph. That's alright. But there's a small part of his brain that's causing the real guilt, telling him he enjoyed it.  
_  
[Everyone]  
Uh well-a well-a well-a huh_

As Katara watches the intent expression on Zuko's face as he watches the woman wailing (correction: singing) on stage - apparently, it's classical Fire Nation theatre - she falls a little more in love with him.  
_  
[Thunderbirds]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

As Sokka finally recounts the tale of Yue to Suki, she understands his sighs to the full moon, and his refusal to take moonlight walks. And she doesn't know if she has it in her to forgive him for not telling her previously.  
_  
[Putzie]  
But you don't gotta brag_

As Sokka boasts about his three girlfriends, _four_ if you count one of the Joo Dees who I think was pretty interested in eating some Water Tribe food, if you know what I mean, Zuko zones out. This is one summer memory he probably won't remember.  
_  
[Pink Ladies]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

It's rare that Katara can't talk to Toph, but she's not blind to what's happening, and she can't see how things will be able to sort themselves out without becoming messy.  
_  
[Rizzo]  
Cos he sounds like a drag_

Aang has always had third place in the hearts of the fans of the Gaang, he is too young, and mature for them. They much prefer the troubled Fire Lord, or the amusing Sokka. So Toph's glad she has less competition to contend with, though the Blind Bandit could beat any of them, eyes closed.  
_  
[Everyone]  
shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, YEH_

While Sokka cheers through another, more accurate Ember Island play about the adventures of the Gaang, Zuko is shocked at how painful it is to watch Katara ending up with Aang.  
_  
[Sandy]  
He got friendly, holding my hand_

As Sokka reaches his hand tentatively across the blanket, Suki pointedly looks away, ignoring the gesture.  
_  
[Danny]  
While she got friendly down in the sand_

Suki wakes up on the beach under the afternoon sun, memories of a vague dream in which a girl with light blue eyes and snow white hair spoke with her passing through her mind. She can't remember what they said, but she needs to see Sokka.  
_  
[Sandy]  
He was sweet, just turned eighteen_

Having lived through the war and more than most people three times their age, it's easy to forget how young all of them are. When Zuko laughs, Katara realizes how his face lights up, and wishes they were just a young couple at the beach, not the Waterbender and the Fire Lord.  
_  
[Danny]  
Well she was good you know what I mean_

It's the first time they've gone this far, nevertheless the beach somehow is the appropriate setting for Sokka and Suki to consummate their relationship.  
_  
[Everyone]  
Woah!_

When Toph cuddles the baby moose lion that Sokka has named Foo Foo Cuddlypoops Junior, Aang suddenly finds himself thinking of her as adorable.  
_  
[Both]  
Summer heat, boy and girl meet, but uh-oh those summer nights_

Their story was anything but simple, but their end would be simple. That at least she could see.  
_  
[Everyone]  
woo, woo, woo_

As the wind howled outside, in a rare summer storm, they appreciated the opportunity to spend time together. Somehow, even as the Gaang sat together, the cracks were growing bigger and bigger. It was almost stifling to be in the same room, with the emotions simmering under the surface.  
_  
[Pink Ladies]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

Toph knew about Zuko and Katara. Zuko knew about Aang and Toph. The two most important people in their square failed to grasp the true state of matters, and no one wanted to be the first to apprise them of it.  
_  
[Jan]  
How much dough did he spend?_

As Suki stared at the intricate picnic that Sokka had prepared, she marvelled at his sudden thoughtfulness. Flowers, candles, her favorite food...was this really Sokka? Even upon seeing the extra blanket strategically placed on the side, she was too happy to do any more than smack him upside the head.  
_  
[Thunderbirds]  
Tell me more, tell me more_

When Katara and Toph listen to Suki's confidences of her 'advanced' experiences with Sokka (not too much detail), obviously, they wonder why they're putting the wrong or impossible faces to the person they imagine doing the same with.  
_  
[Sonny]  
Could she get me a friend?_

Toph loved Aang who thought he loved Katara who loved Zuko who didn't know how his country would live with a Waterbender as his bride. Things had gotten more complicated than just friends and lovers over the summer.  
_  
[Sandy]  
It turned colder - that's where it ends_

Toph wondered how Aang could believe it was right or honorable to go back to a woman who he did not love, and would never love him as more than a brother. Was it impossible for him to see the attraction between Katara and Zuko, and between herself and him? She was supposed to be the blind one. But the summer finished, too soon, and no more plans were made to meet.  
_  
[Danny]  
So I told her we'd still be friends_

When Katara and Aang parted ways a few months later, it came as a surprise to no one. The fact that both of them stayed alone even after the breakup was a surprise.  
_  
[Sandy]  
Then we made our true love vow_

Before the summer had ended, Katara and Zuko said their breathless goodbyes, filled with the scent of unfulfilled promises, and the feeling of betrayal and impossibility.  
_  
[Danny]  
Wonder what she's doing now_

Despite telling himself repeatedly that he loves _Katara_, sometimes Aang slips up and finds himself saying Toph instead. An accident, he says.  
_  
[Both]  
Summer dreams ripped at the seams,  
bu-ut oh, those su-ummer nights...._

No matter how each of them carries on with their lives, the pull of those summer days spent together tugs at them, despite going on with their lives. Sokka and Suki feel it the least, in their own little corner of forever, but it is there. Zuko finds himself repeatedly convincing the court that an alliance with the Water Tribe is in their favor, despite the fact that Katara is in the Southern Tribes, and he has not spoken to her. Aang, on his quest to find airbenders, thinks of how it wouldn't be difficult to manage with an earthbender at his side.  
_  
[Everyone]  
Tell me more, tell me more! _

**EXCLUSIVE: FIRE LORD AND WATERBENDER TO MARRY!! SIMULTANEOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH BLIND BANDIT AND AVATAR!! EXCITEMENT ENSUES!!!  
**None of the lurid tabloid reports knew even one-fifth of the truth.

* * *

**Author Note:** I quite like this. It's their prize, and you can see what they asked for. It's a songfic. Of sorts.


End file.
